Abstract: USC alumnus Carl Maston was an influential Los Angeles mid-century modern architect. Upon graduation, Maston worked for the
offices of Floyd Rible, A. Quincy Jones, Fred Emmons, Phil Daniel, and Allied Architects before opening his own office. His
homes, shopping centers, military housing units, and university buildings can be found throughout Southern California. Known
for his stark, no-frills modern buildings such as the Maston (or Marmont) Residence and Hillside House, his career spanned
over 40 years in public and private sectors. The bulk of the collection consists of architectural project files as well as
architectural photographs by longtime-collaborator Julius Shulman.

The portions of the collection that have been processed are open for research use. Advance notice required for access.

Conditions Governing Use

The collection contains published materials; researchers are reminded of the copyright restrictions imposed by publishers
on reusing their articles and parts of books. It is the responsibility of the researchers to acquire permission from publishers
when reusing such materials. The copyright to unpublished materials belongs to the heirs of the writers. Permission to publish,
quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Biographical Note

Carl Maston (1915-1992) was an influential mid-century modern architect based in Los Angeles. Known for his stark modern style
and inventive use of concrete structural solutions, his 100+ works can be seen throughout Southern California. Born Carl Mastopietro
in Jacksonville, Illinois, he first studied music before settling on architecture while at USC. Upon graduating in 1937, he
went to work for several local architectural offices before setting off on his own in 1946.

For the next 40 years, Maston and his office completed projects such as commercial buildings, shopping centers, institutional
buildings, private homes, residential buildings, and military housing units locally and nationally. His first of several design
awards was for Maston (or Marmont) House in West Hollywood, a late Craftsman-style home. In 1946, he was commissioned to build
the Pandora Apartments -- the first of his experiments with the garden aparment design. Along with Ray Kappe, Maston went
on to contribute to the quintessential California apartment complex, particularly with the National Boulevard Apartments.
Other notable completed projects include Hillside House, the Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design, the Chiat House
in South Pasadena, Valley Ice Skating Center in Tarzana, and the Creative Arts Building at Cal State San Bernardino. In addition,
he helped create the Los Angeles Community Design Center and served on the Los Angeles Planning Commission for five years.

Maston was the 1989 recipient of the USC Distinguished Alumni Award for excellence in design and innovative leadership in
public service. Semi-retired but still teaching courses at USC and accepting architectural commissions, Carl Maston was 77
when he died of colon cancer in Los Angeles.

Scope and Content

The archive documents the professional career of southern California architect Carl Maston. It is unclear how much the collection
covers of Maston's career as the archive was a gift from Los Angeles realtor Crosby Doe, whose professional interest in mid-century
modern architecture prompted his acquisition of the collection several years prior. Nonetheless, the collection covers a variety
of public and private commissions including commercial buildings, university buildings, and residential structures. The majority
of the archive consists of project notes as well as the black-and-white architectural photography by Julius Shulman. The collection
also includes slides and negatives, architectural drawings, correspondence, and published articles about Maston's projects.

Series 1. Project files and photographs form the bulk of the collection. This includes notes, brochures, correspondence, as
well as 8x10" photographs and proofs. Files are loosely organized alphabetically by project name and housed in 8 document
boxes.

Series 2. Rolls of large architectural drawings include finished and unfinished projects. Many different projects are housed
in a single roll. The rolls are organized thematically according to type of structure described.

Series 3. Presentation boards include finished and unfinished project renderings mounted to a firm support. Many drawings
remain unidentified.

Series 4. Miscellaneous includes prints, negatives, and loose leaf materials that have yet to be identified. These materials
are housed in 1 white record storage carton.

Arrangement

The collection is organized in four series: Series 1. Project Files; Series 2. Rolls; Series 3. Presentation Boards; Series
4. Miscellaneous.